Is there a search tool that I can use to investigate if the solicitor carrying out my conveyancing in Chesterfield is on the lender’sapproved panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Britannia thus paying £187.00 plus VAT in supplemental legal bill.

You should make use of the find a conveyancing panel solicitor tool on this web page. Please choose the lender and type ‘Chesterfield’ or your preferred area and you will be presented with numerous solicitors based in Chesterfield or near you.

Have just purchased a repossessed house at auction in Chesterfield. Conveyancing is necessary. What are my next steps?

Having legally bound yourself to purchase you will need to choose a conveyancing lawyer as a matter of urgency as you will have a tight a drop dead date to complete the conveyancing. All auction property should have a bespoke legal pack. This should include evidence of title and search results. If you have purchased leasehold premises the legal pack may contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation specific to leasehold premises. You must pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor ASAP. Do make sure that that you have the requisite funding in place to complete on the date specified in the contract.

My fiancee and I are in the throws of viewing flats in Chesterfield and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a solicitor appointed at this point? I am planning to take a home loan with Principality.

You should start requesting conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the estate agent. Given that you are seeking a mortgage with Principality, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Principality conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

At last I have had an offer on an apartment in Chesterfield agreed to, the owners do nevertheless have a dependent purchase. The sellers have offered on somewhere, however it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other apartments in the pipeline. I have instructed a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Chesterfield. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Kent Reliance started?

It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then valuation, Chesterfield conveyancing search costs, etc). The first course of action is to ensure that your solicitor is on the Kent Reliance approved list. Concerning the next phase this very much depends on the specifics of your case, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market the majority of purchasers will apply for the mortgage with Kent Reliance and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their conveyancer to proceed with searches.

My wife and I own a 4 bedroom Victorian house in Chesterfield. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Chelsea Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Chesterfield and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who completed the work.

I decided to have a survey done on a house in Chesterfield ahead of appointing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the house. My surveyor has said that some banks may refuse to give a loan on such a property.

It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can investigate further via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Chesterfield. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £225,000 apartment in Chesterfield in 10 days. The managing agents has quoted £312 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Chesterfield?

Chesterfield conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally necessitates the purchaser’s conveyancer submitting enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer such questions the majority will be content to do so. They may invoice a reasonable charge for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it is above £800. The administration charge invoiced by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality one has no option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to sell the property.

Chesterfield Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

How much is the ground rent and service charge? In the main the cost for major works are not included within maintenance charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Chesterfield require tenants to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of establishing a fund for major repairs or maintenance. Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments?